Mike Rowse

Opinion | Sensible political reforms the Hong Kong government can offer for the 2020 Legco election and beyond

The government has no excuse to delay the political reforms Hongkongers are clearly demanding. Sensible first steps include breaking up bigger constituencies and abolishing corporate voting in the Legco election, and making the chief executive nominating committee more representative

Reading Time:4 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Protest art at Edinburgh Place in Central, Hong Kong, on November 17. Hongkongers want the city’s leaders to be more representative and more accountable to them, rather than simply to Beijing. Photo: Bloomberg

Mike Rowse

Published: 1:30pm, 1 Dec 2019Updated: 7:12pm, 1 Dec 2019

Someone is going to have to pick up the hot potato of political reform in Hong Kong and something tells me our shell-shocked administration is not going to take the initiative. It needs to be prodded firmly and offered some constructive suggestions. So here goes.

The argument for doing nothing is, in their eyes, a strong one. It would appear to be giving in to the call of “five demands, not one less” and thus showing weakness. Also, any proposals for change could be controversial so why kick over another hornets’ nest when you are still suffering the stings from the last one.

But the case for pressing ahead despite the dangers is compelling. The public opinion polls which proved so prescient in forecasting the outcome of the district council elections consistently show overwhelming support from the community for progress in this area.

And there is no excuse for not following the track laid out in the Basic Law. After all, declining to do the right thing out of fear of failure is also an admission of weakness.

The main target has to be election of the chief executive by universal suffrage at the next opportunity in 2022. The intention to do this is ultimately specified in Article 45 of the Basic Law. Only once this has been achieved can we move to elect the whole legislature by universal suffrage as well.

But that is no reason not to undertake some sensible, practical reforms of the Legislative Council in time for the next election in 2020. Because time is short, bearing in mind the need for amending legislation, we should start the process right away and give it priority.